Night photography usually means bringing a tripod and setting up for long exposures. This doesn’t have to always be the case, here are two ideas on taking some shots at night, no tripod required. Bokeh Lights One such type of shot you can take without a tripod is bokeh lights. Bokeh is simply the aesthetic… Continue reading Tripod Not Required
Category Archives: Articles
Film Mistakes
I mentioned yesterday my desire for a panorama film back for the Bronica ETRSi. I actually purchased a 35mm back which I thought was this back I wanted. It wasn’t. I discovered this after shooting a roll through, there are two different backs for the Bronica system. The 135N back, which I bought, allows for… Continue reading Film Mistakes
What’s in my night photography bag?
Here’s almost everything pulled out of my typical bag I carry for a night photography shoot. It is a bit more than I normally carry, but night is a little less forgiving and you’re need a bit more equipment. Coffee and warm gloves might be most important. Camera with Bulb Setting Memory Card or Film… Continue reading What’s in my night photography bag?
8 Years Film, 8 Years Digital
I noticed the other day I’ve been shooting digital for about as long as I shot film, this observation prompted this retrospective on my gear history and future. I started to get “serious” about photography back in 1999, my first camera was a Canon EOS 3, the pro-sumer autofocus technical marvel of the time; it… Continue reading 8 Years Film, 8 Years Digital
Small World, a photo exhibit
I started an idea for a photo exhibit over 14 years ago and haven’t done much with it since the initial burst. I cleaned up my photos and came across the original scans I made, all the shots were done on black and white film. I may or may not add to it down the… Continue reading Small World, a photo exhibit
Thoughts on B&W and Color Photography
I set out on a 30-day challenge to shoot Street Photography, which I define as people in an urban environment; with a strong emphasis on people. I’m not that comfortable taking photos of people, so pushing myself to take more portraits and interact more. Most of my shots have been turning out a bit bland.… Continue reading Thoughts on B&W and Color Photography
My Street Photography Challenge
I’ve started a “30-day” challenge to primarily shoot street photography, it likely will go longer than 30-days but will be at least that long. I hope to find the time by going for walks during lunch time start. We have a discussion board at work on photography and had a good thread about street photography… Continue reading My Street Photography Challenge
Fuji X-T1 Review
Last year I wrote about my new Fuji X100s camera; it was (and still is) a great camera, one of my all-time favorites. However, as the tech and camera world goes, something new comes along and Fuji announced the interchangeable lens X-T1 just a few months after I purchased the X100s. The XT-1 is everything… Continue reading Fuji X-T1 Review
Intro to Night Photography
Overview The long exposures of night photography allow for surprises and interesting results, but low light and long exposures can be a bit tricky. This guide will help you get started with night photography plus include a few tips and tricks I’ve picked up while shooting at night. The camera captures time in a way… Continue reading Intro to Night Photography
Photo Year in Review 2014
On Sept 3, I started a photo streak publishing a photo each day. I was disappointed I had only published 16 photos previously. I don’t remember what my initial streak goal was but after a week or two, my target became posting a photo for 100 straight days. Streak is currently at 118 days straight… Continue reading Photo Year in Review 2014
My New Camera – Fuji X100s
My new camera is a Fuji X100s, I sold a bunch of my old manual cameras and lenses and picked up this Fuji rangefinder. I’ve had the camera for about 10 days now and really liking it. I’m still getting used to the change, I’ve shot with a Nikon DSLR for the longest time and… Continue reading My New Camera – Fuji X100s
Diptych Diptych
A double diptych. I recently came across a great tutorial by Jay Watson, using Lightroom to create Diptychs He shows an easy way to create a template and generate diptychs quickly and consistently. I don’t think I have had ever even used the “Print” menu in Lightroom before. These are just a couple of older… Continue reading Diptych Diptych
Costa Rica Sunset
46 sunsets in 23 minutes. I was playing with the interval shooting mode on my Nikon D700, which allowed me to set my camera up to take a photo once every 30 seconds. I tried it on two sunsets on two different days. I think the results turned out pretty good. I set the camera… Continue reading Costa Rica Sunset
Best of Photojournalism 2006
I was very surprised and proud to find out that my Foster City Carnival photo set received 3rd place in the National Press Photographers Best of Photojournalism 2006 awards; I won in the Amateur Photo Blogs, Festival and Events category. I was talking to a photo journalist friend who was quite impressed / jealous, he… Continue reading Best of Photojournalism 2006
Introducing the Holga Nikon
My latest homemade lens creations, the Holga Nikon. It is exactly as it sounds, a Holga lens mounted on a Nikon FE-2 body. My other homemade lenses were just too clear and the Holga doesn’t have a real viewfinder. So why not join the two; it makes a real interesting combination. I went to Stanford… Continue reading Introducing the Holga Nikon
Tips for Night Photography
Overview Night photography is one of my favorite branches of the photography tree. It is not your standard shots: long exposures at night allow for surprises and interesting effects; lighting is provided by the moon or artificial; plus numerous other unknown factors (such as airplanes) all play into night photography. Here’s a few tips and… Continue reading Tips for Night Photography
Open Shutter by Michael Wesely
When I first heard about Michael Wesely’s project to photograph the entire construction of the Museum of Modern Art as single three year exposures I was amazed and intrigued. The concept of making a three year exposure is quite bold and daring; Wesely was able to achieve spectacular results. Unfortunately, my technical curiosity on how… Continue reading Open Shutter by Michael Wesely
Homemade Lenses
After being impressed by several photographers on the web and the results they achieved with homemade or tilt-shift lenses, I decided to build one of my own. I was thrilled with the results and have built several more, it becomes a little addicting. I find myself looking for good deals on old lenses and interesting… Continue reading Homemade Lenses
Homemade Bellows Lens
Nikon FE2 with Homemade Bellows Lens Overview I was inspired by Justin Ouellette’s homemade lens, who was inspired by John Perkinson’s homemade lens, who was inspired by Mark Tucker’s plunger lens. A lot of inspiration going around. So I decided to build my own lens. These bellows lenses allow for tilt-shifting, this can create distinct… Continue reading Homemade Bellows Lens
Exposures for Moonlight Photography
Overview Taking a photo of a scene that is only illuminated by moonlight requires a long exposure and best done around a full moon. There is a fairly significant drop off as the days go away from a full moon. I’ve compiled information to give you a starting point for an exposure time. See the… Continue reading Exposures for Moonlight Photography
Architecture by Hiroshi Sugimoto
I first saw this set of work as an exhibit at the SFMOMA and was captivated by the beauty in the simplicity. Sugimoto’s photographs of architecture are blurred which removes the detail and leave the essence of the buildings. This transforms these popular icons and structures into unknown shapes creating mood, mystery and intrigue. This… Continue reading Architecture by Hiroshi Sugimoto
Home Front by Peter Elliott
I first heard about Home Front reading an interview of Peter Elliott in LensWork magazine, which also featured photos from the book. In the interview they discussed the process that went into producing the book and the fact that it was all digital from shooting to production. Brooks Jensen, the editor-in-chief of LensWork, has a… Continue reading Home Front by Peter Elliott
Photoshop Elements
I recently purchased Photoshop Elements 2.0 since the new version supports Mac OS X. I was previously using an older version of Photoshop, my last remaining Mac OS classic app. I was initially skeptical about Elements since I’ve been real disappointed with other slimmed down versions of Photoshop, such as Photoshop LE which comes bundled… Continue reading Photoshop Elements